Novak: Why GOP fears 2002 races

Chicago Sun-Times ^ | 11/26/2001 | Robert Novak

[Dane]

It was reported on Fox News and locally on ABC radio that the National Republican Congressional Committee had blamed Schundler.

Why would the Congressional Committee comment on a race that has nothing to do with Congress?

It was the NJ RINO leadership that backstabbed Schundler.

[pollyshy]

Robert Novak? Is he still around? Is he still relevant?

[Sgt_Schultze]

If the Republicans would simply offer up a plan which would allow for personal ownership of the Treasury notes which ostensibly support Social Security, retirees would have an estate value to their benefit. Any residual amount could be passed on to heirs upon death as is done with all other retirement plans. Democrats would have to argue against such a plan and they would be shown to be the greedy, selfish ba$tard$ we all know them to be. Perhaps at least the independent voters would realize that the dems are only looking to keep people as servants of government.

[sayfer bullets]

Boozman won by a comfortable 12 points, even when the demo Hathorn tried to make himself as a Republican(i.e pro-gun and anti partial birth abortion).

I agree. This is typical media-horserace-mentality stuff. Any polled lead must turn out to be the actual, or "expectations" weren't met and the reason MUST be due to one or two factors explainable in 30 seconds or under 100 words typewritten words.

Sorry, but Novak is media first, conservative third.

[Dave S]

It was reported on Fox News and locally on ABC radio that the National Republican Congressional Committee had blamed Schundler.

I thought Schundler ran for governor. Why would the Natinal Republican Congressionl Committee have anything to say about it? They fund congressional races. I think you have your committees mixed up.

[hchutch]

I recall a memo being issued by a national GOP committee, but that was also before word got out about how bad DiFrancesco was backstabbing.

There was very good support for Schundler, even among some moderates (Bob Franks and Tom Kean both were supportive). I will go with the GOP, but I may just stay home for Virginia's Senate race if John Warner wins. I cannot vote for him after he stabbed Ollie North and Mike Farris in the back.

[Digger]

You all really think that the Pubbie party is conservative? WAKE UP.

[marajade]

The Dems poured 100,000 dollars into the race including sending Clinton there to campaign. Maybe that's why the Rep didn't win by a 20 pt margin.

[marajade]

"I think the Republicans need to abandon the privatization plan."

Why? The majority of people are for it.

[linn37]

I have two children that will be old enough to start working in January. I don't think the plan would help me much but it would be good for them. I think they need better ad people.Its all how you sell it and the Republicans are'nt very good salespeople.

[marajade]

Well if the Reps have to resort to selling an issue that betters those who pay into Soc Sec than the cause isn't worth fighting for.

[Irene Adler]

"If the Republicans would simply offer up a plan which would allow for personal ownership of the Treasury notes which ostensibly support Social Security, retirees would have an estate value to their benefit. Any residual amount could be passed on to heirs upon death as is done with all other retirement plans. Democrats would have to argue against such a plan and they would be shown to be the greedy, selfish ba$tard$ we all know them to be. Perhaps at least the independent voters would realize that the dems are only looking to keep people as servants of government."

This is not an idea I have heard of before. It's pretty darn good. Thank you, Sergeant, for posting this.

[Cinnamon Girl]

Dennis Prager is on right now discussing Robert Novak and the mystery of why this guy is called conservative.

[WhiteGuy]

republican support for privatization is lip-service.

The republican party as a whole wants nothing to do with

giving up the control over all that cash.

Lets not forget how much of it gets dumped into the general fund each year.

Privatization? It'l never happen.....

[Zack Nguyen]

If the GOP is unable or unwilling to sell its privatization concept, then obviously it's not a good policy idea.

I am just enough of a pragmatist to appreciate the point you are making here. "If you can't explain it to a barmaid in five minutes, then you don't understand it."

I think privatization in the long run it is the only thing that will save the fiscal integrity of the government.

[Sgt_Schultze]

QE-I, Thanks. My intent is only to lay bare the arguments of the wacky, fraudulent left. If the facts are as the democrats state, that we are investing in our own retirements, surely fairness dictates that one should own that which he has contributed. Of course We realize that there really is no money in Social Security - it is really the longest-running and largest-ever ponzi scheme devised. The far left knows if ownership of the "bonds" ever passed to the retiree, there would be no more lavish spending designed to elicit votes. They would be caught fighting against giving the common guy his own money.

Republicans will have none of this though. It would be called too divisive by the press and the lazy Republicans in Congress would quiet.

[Holden Magroin]

I am convinced that the Republican Party establishment and the White House are deliberately trying to lose the 2002 elections because they think it will increase the chance that the voters will want to check Democratic abuses of power and re-elect Bush in 2004. Also, the Republican establishment doesn't want a conservative majority in the Senate that would confirm conservative Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade. I'm looking forward to having Speaker Gephardt.

[Paul Ross]

Believe me, when you are a substantial contributor, you too will learn to carefully listen for the activities and statements originating from 'your' PAC. The Committee is supposed to focus on congressional races, but clearly the governor's races have a big hand in those outcomes, at least potentially, when in the RATS hands....

[jmaroneps37]

Have all of you people gone nuts? Novak's crying about the fact that we didn't win by 20 points because of social security is dumbass talk. Does anyone remember that one of the reasons that the attempted hijacking in Florida didn't work was that the Rats' scare tactics on social security didn't work on the seniors down there. Florida being "senior and social secirity central" for the whole country, if the evil donkey couldn't sell it to those old bingo queens, they won't be able to sell it elsewhere. To look at one single race, won or lost, 12 months out and claim to get something significant out of it, is to prove that you have too much free time on your hands and have become bored with covering the war, Mr Novak. One more point: this win continues our unbroken string of not losing a single contested race since willie dirtied the white house in 1993. (That's IF you want to consider it a contested race. )